Bhavya, a software engineer on the VS Code team, discusses the new planning agent in Visual Studio Code and explains its advantages for developers.

Behind the Scenes of VS Code’s Planning Agent

Bhavya, software engineer on the Visual Studio Code team, joins this episode to break down the new VS Code planning agent. This agent goes beyond basic todo lists by offering AI-powered task planning tailored for developers working in VS Code.

What is the Planning Agent?

The planning agent is an experimental feature built into VS Code’s Copilot Chat extension. Unlike traditional todo features, it assists developers by helping organize, prioritize, and execute coding tasks, leveraging AI to suggest next steps and improve workflow management.

  • Key Differences from Todos:
    • Traditional todos are static lists that developers maintain manually.
    • The planning agent analyzes context and goals, making suggestions and helping structure tasks dynamically.

When Should You Use the Planning Agent?

  • For complex projects with multiple interconnected tasks
  • When uncertain about next steps or task breakdown
  • To delegate planning work to an intelligent agent and focus on coding

How Does It Work?

  • Accessible via the Copilot Chat panel in VS Code
  • Uses AI algorithms to review code context and developer prompts
  • Proposes task plans that adapt as work progresses
  • Offers actionable suggestions for workflow improvements

Connect and Subscribe

The planning agent is designed to help developers stay organized and focused by turning ambiguous goals into clear, actionable steps.